Handover Power Boost

With Handover power boost (HOPB), the handover command is sent by the BSC/BTS to
the MS on maximum configurative power. Handover command includes information about
which uplink power the MS shall use in serving cell. The MS then acknowledges the
handover command using maximum configurative power. In case of a HO failure, the HO
failure message is also sent on maximum configurative power. When handover power
boost is triggered, normal regulation is inhibited until the MS has received the handover
command. The BTS ignores all BTS or MS power orders sent by the BSC in the serving
cell until the MS has acknowledged the handover command.

The speech/channel coding and interleaving in GSM is very robust. A small number of
bursts/frames can be lost without speech degradation (the number depends on the error
distribution). Power Control should therefore also be used for connections close to the
cell border. Since the signaling for the handover procedure (e.g. Handover Command) is
more critical and error-sensitive, it should be sent on maximum power in order to
maximise the handover performance.

HOPB is useful when the SS quickly drops, for example when the MS moves around a
street corner. In this case, due to the system delay and the limited up-regulation speed,
the signaling would be sent on a too low power without HOPB. Thus in order to maximise
the probability of a successful handover, Handover Power Boost should be used.

Since the maximum configurative power is only used for a short time before the
handover, activating HOPB has a minor impact on the overall interference level in the
network.

Note that HOPB only improves the HO performance if power control is activated.

Handover power boost is activated by setting the state variable HPBSTATE.